Page 55 of Devil's Vengeance

“Okay…” I murmured. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to give him any more than I gave the officers, but I wasn’t in any place to argue. I followed him toward the bikes, watching as a few bikers parked themselves just on the edge of the property to watch the cops while they were poking around. I’d stupidly invited the police into their territory, thinking it would help, but I only dragged things out.

How much worse could this get?

CHAPTER 33

MARIAH

Now that I wasn’t being pestered with questions, my mind was throwing me for a loop. I was hyper aware of the blood on my hands, but the biker who I was riding with didn’t mention it. It was all I could think about, really. Like it was sinking into my skin and spilling down my arms even though it was long dried by now. I may have been in shock, because I felt numb all over except for my hands, which still felt wet with blood. I barely remembered to keep my hands on the biker’s shoulders like instructed, and the trip to the hospital was a blur.

We pulled up out front and I slid off the seat, my gaze locked on the ground. How much blood could a person lose and still survive? Because there was a lot of blood. It was on my shoes and on the knees of my pajama pants. I hadn’t noticed that I was still dressed like that. I got into my pajamas after I was with Chase. God, that felt like forever ago. With all the chaos, I forgot about what I was wearing entirely.

“Mariah.”

Reaper’s dark voice called out to me, but it was hard to focus. When I finally lifted my gaze to look at him, I couldn’t help but ask, “A person can survive after losing that much blood. Right?”

Something flickered across his face before it disappeared behind his dark mask again. “You should hope so. For Chase’s sake.”

Oh god. I hadn’t even thought of that. If it was Trick’s crew, then it wasTrick or one of his friends who shot up Riley and Croy’s house. They were responsible for Nevada getting hurt. And because Chase was the reason Trick was here, everyone would see it as his fault. Even if he wasn’t the one to pull the trigger.

“How… How did they know? Where we were.”

“That’s what I want to know,” Croy growled. I hadn’t seen him come out the front door. I was too busy staring at Reaper for some kind of answer.

I turned to face Croy, my brows drawn together, confused. “What do you want to know?”

He shot a look at Reaper, who shook his head. “She’s in shock. Didn’t say shit to the cops, though.”

Croy grunted an acknowledgement and turned away, leaving Aero and Reaper to lead me inside, both gripping my upper arms. They didn’t hurt me, but they didn’t seem to think I’d move on my own. Neither did I, really. I didn’t understand why this was all hitting me now. It felt like a weight sat on my chest, and I couldn’t keep a train of thought for the life of me.

They guided me through the ER waiting room to where the rest of the bikers were waiting. Reaper nudged me into a chair and walked away, coming back with a nurse, who looked me over with a frown.

“None of the blood is hers. It’s probably a delayed stress reaction. It happens sometimes. Honey, you alright? Do you feel dizzy at all?”

“I feel… numb.”

She nodded slowly, like she understood what was happening with me. “That’ll happen. Just take deep breaths. You’ll be alright. Are you hurt?”

My gaze dropped to my hands again, and I ran my thumb over my blood-soaked fingertips. “It’s not mine.”

Her voice got distant again as everything in me focused again on the blood on my hands. So much blood.

Footsteps approached, and a hand covered mine. With a gentle tug, they pulled me to my feet. “Come with me.”

I looked up, locking eyes with Cleo. She had mascara smeared on her cheeks from crying, and she looked pale and shaken. Her husband was hurt. Because of me? Did Trick follow me? She shook her head.

“I doubt that, honey. If he did, he would’ve attacked before Nevada ever got there.”

Had I said it out loud? I didn’t realize. But I latched onto her words like a lifeline.

“You think so?”

She gave my hand another tug, leading me away from the group toward the hall. The bathroom wasn’t far, and it was empty aside from us. She pulled me over to the sink, holding my hands under the water while she scrubbed away the blood. For a little while, I could only watch as the water turned pink and ran down the drain.

“I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with me right now.”

She hummed, grabbing some soap and scrubbing my hands down. “It’s a good distraction. If I paced anymore, I was going to wear a hole into the floor. Was he…. Was he awake when you found him?”

My brows furrowed. “I don’t remember. I wasn’t looking at anything but where Riley put my hands.” A flashback of the blood seeping through made me wince. “We should’ve helped sooner. That stupid cop held her back. How long does it take–”

---